Holidays

The B.C. Legislature in Victoria was designed by architect Frances Rattenbury. Which city was British Columbia’s capital before Victoria was selected? (Don Denton photograph)

QUIZ: How well do you know British Columbia?

There is a lot to celebrate about this province during the B.C. Day long weekend

 

FILE - The view of Mount Rushmore located just a few miles away from Under Canvas Mount Rushmore tent cabins near Keystone, S.D. More than 10.5 million North American households took a glamping trip in 2022, up from 9.6 million in 2021. (Jim Holland/Rapid City Journal via AP, File)

More travelers get cozy with glamping, even amid high costs

As camping demand fades, people looking to its less-rustic cousin

 

Supermodels Candice Swanepoel, left, and Doutzen Kroes, help open the first Victoria’s Secret store in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, May 5, 2011. When was Victoria’s Secret created? (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

QUIZ: How much do you know about Queen Victoria?

The Victoria Day long weekend is named after a legendary British monarch

 

If lack of money is putting a crimp on your summer plans, NerdWallet suggests some things to consider. (Mirror File photo)

How to have a fun summer when your finances fall short

Mindset makes a difference in accepting when the funds don’t match the ambition

If lack of money is putting a crimp on your summer plans, NerdWallet suggests some things to consider. (Mirror File photo)
Children hunt for Easter eggs during the 2019 Easter Egg-stravaganza in Summerland. Egg hunts and other celebrations are part of the festivities during the Easter weekend. (Black Press file photo)

QUIZ: How much do you know about Easter traditions?

The weekend includes the Easter bunny, decorated eggs, chocolate and a religious observance

Children hunt for Easter eggs during the 2019 Easter Egg-stravaganza in Summerland. Egg hunts and other celebrations are part of the festivities during the Easter weekend. (Black Press file photo)
Blackwell Dairy Farm in Kamloops is selling chocolate egg nog for Easter. (Blackwell Dairy Farm/Facebook)

Egg nog for Easter? Kamloops dairy farm releases new chocolate nog ahead of holiday weekend

Blackwell Dairy Farm’s chocolate egg nog is available at stores in Vernon and Kelowna

Blackwell Dairy Farm in Kamloops is selling chocolate egg nog for Easter. (Blackwell Dairy Farm/Facebook)
Black Press Media File

St. Patrick’s Day rites: Parades, bagpipes, clinking pints

Oh, Danny boy, ‘tis the time of year when Irish bagpipes are…

Black Press Media File
Kids go tobogganing at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa on Family Day, on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

What’s closed as 8 provinces celebrate regional holidays today

Most banks, provincial services closed Monday

Kids go tobogganing at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa on Family Day, on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Wiarton Willie sits in his cage in Wiarton, Ont., on Friday, Feb.2, 2018. Famed and furry forecasters of spring are set to make their predictions this morning. It's Groundhog Day, and as folklore goes, a groundhog will emerge from its burrow and if it does not see its shadow, then spring is just around the corner, while if it does and retreats, then we can expect six more weeks of winter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon

Groundhog Day: Fred is dead in Quebec, Willie and Sam at odds over spring’s arrival

Tragedy and discord reigns in the world of rodent winter weather forecasting

Wiarton Willie sits in his cage in Wiarton, Ont., on Friday, Feb.2, 2018. Famed and furry forecasters of spring are set to make their predictions this morning. It's Groundhog Day, and as folklore goes, a groundhog will emerge from its burrow and if it does not see its shadow, then spring is just around the corner, while if it does and retreats, then we can expect six more weeks of winter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon
Luggage bags are amassed in the bag claim area at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as a major winter storm disrupts flights in and out of the airport, in Toronto, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Holiday passengers arriving without bags as Toronto Pearson airport luggage piles up

Passengers unsure how to reclaim bags as hundreds of pieces of luggage show up late to YYZ

Luggage bags are amassed in the bag claim area at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as a major winter storm disrupts flights in and out of the airport, in Toronto, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Christmas lights account for much of the light bulb waste found in landfills, according to Product Care Recycling. (Hollie Ferguson/News Staff)

One way to support the Earth this holiday season? Recycle old decorations

Product Care Recycling is urging British Columbians to take care of holiday waste responsibly

Christmas lights account for much of the light bulb waste found in landfills, according to Product Care Recycling. (Hollie Ferguson/News Staff)
Santa and Mrs. Claus take a well-deserved break after reading through all the Black Press Media papers in Greater Victoria to update the naught and nice list. (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)

10 questions with Santa and Mrs. Claus

Black Press Media staffers put together a line of questioning for the…

Santa and Mrs. Claus take a well-deserved break after reading through all the Black Press Media papers in Greater Victoria to update the naught and nice list. (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)
Justin Eveline and his wife, Amy Bracken. The couple, known for their generosity, redirected GoFundMe donations given to Eveline after he broke his leg to fund a Christmas dinner for the homeless in Salmon Arm. (Contributed)

After breaking leg, B.C. man to pay kindness forward to people in greater need

Justin Eveline to host Christmas Eve dinner for those living rough

Justin Eveline and his wife, Amy Bracken. The couple, known for their generosity, redirected GoFundMe donations given to Eveline after he broke his leg to fund a Christmas dinner for the homeless in Salmon Arm. (Contributed)
This photo shows certified dog behavior consultant Gabrielle Johnson with her dogs on Oct. 11 in Richmond, Va. Johnson said a little preparation goes a long way for people bringing their pets along on holiday home stays with loved ones. (Josh Mark Rickey via AP)

Bringing a dog along for a holiday stay? Make sure to plan

Tensions can be dialed way down with a little preparation

This photo shows certified dog behavior consultant Gabrielle Johnson with her dogs on Oct. 11 in Richmond, Va. Johnson said a little preparation goes a long way for people bringing their pets along on holiday home stays with loved ones. (Josh Mark Rickey via AP)
Sunta Sem, seen in an undated handout photo, is a Toronto private chef and caterer who sells meals through the Cookin app. Sem will swap sweet potatoes for other root vegetables like parsnips or when preparing food with greens, opt for Boston lettuce, which she says hasn’t risen in price too much. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cookin

Hosting a holiday dinner? Here are some cost-saving tips

‘It’s crazy, like you need a mortgage to go to the grocery store right now’

Sunta Sem, seen in an undated handout photo, is a Toronto private chef and caterer who sells meals through the Cookin app. Sem will swap sweet potatoes for other root vegetables like parsnips or when preparing food with greens, opt for Boston lettuce, which she says hasn’t risen in price too much. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cookin
Employees and their guests attend the holiday dinner and karaoke party for Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America employees Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Schaumburg, Ill. Say goodbye to virtual wine tasting, and practice your karaoke. Company holiday parties are making a comeback. After more than two years of working in pajama bottoms and clinking glasses over Zoom, many office workers are yearning for a bit of glamour, or at least a sense of normalcy. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Company holiday parties are back — but with some restraint

After two years of Zoom, many workers seem to be yearning for a bit of glamour

Employees and their guests attend the holiday dinner and karaoke party for Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America employees Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Schaumburg, Ill. Say goodbye to virtual wine tasting, and practice your karaoke. Company holiday parties are making a comeback. After more than two years of working in pajama bottoms and clinking glasses over Zoom, many office workers are yearning for a bit of glamour, or at least a sense of normalcy. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of a scam involving barcodes being swapped on gift cards. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Gift card scam catching B.C. holiday shoppers off guard

Better Business Bureau issues warning after barcodes swapped on cards

The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers of a scam involving barcodes being swapped on gift cards. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Scientists say cooking food helped fuel our evolution, give us bigger brains — and later down the line, would become the centerpiece of the feasting rituals that brought communities together.

How cooking food and gathering for feasts made us human

‘The story of human evolution has appeared to be the story of what we eat’

Scientists say cooking food helped fuel our evolution, give us bigger brains — and later down the line, would become the centerpiece of the feasting rituals that brought communities together.
CATSA employees perform security checks of passengers and their carry on at a security screening area at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, Feb. 6, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

Unions say turnover rate high for airport security officers as holiday season looms

Just 1/3 of those hired under one union in last few months have stayed on

CATSA employees perform security checks of passengers and their carry on at a security screening area at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, Feb. 6, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)
Tools used for “papel picado”, the traditional manufacture of tissue paper cut-out decorations, long used in altars for the Day of the Dead, lay on top of a stencil in a workshop in Xochimilco, a borough of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Begun in the 1800s, experts say using tissue paper is probably a continuation of a far older pre-Hispanic tradition of painting ceremonial figures on paper made of fig-bark sheets. Mexican artisans adopted imported tissue paper because it was cheap and thin enough so that, with sharp tools, extreme care and a lot of skill, dozens of sheets can be cut at the same time. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

In Mexico, Day of the Dead is actually a celebration of life

Holiday rooted in agriculture-related beliefs from Mexico’s pre-Hispanic era

Tools used for “papel picado”, the traditional manufacture of tissue paper cut-out decorations, long used in altars for the Day of the Dead, lay on top of a stencil in a workshop in Xochimilco, a borough of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Begun in the 1800s, experts say using tissue paper is probably a continuation of a far older pre-Hispanic tradition of painting ceremonial figures on paper made of fig-bark sheets. Mexican artisans adopted imported tissue paper because it was cheap and thin enough so that, with sharp tools, extreme care and a lot of skill, dozens of sheets can be cut at the same time. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)